I think it all has to do with the pelvic floor muscles becoming tight and inflamed.   This was always an issue for me.  Matia should be able to help you out with this.  Maybe once the bladder issues are more under control this symptom will subside.

This is something I am currently dealing with too and yes I think it is inflammation- I'm going to ask Matia more about this process. We have been hitting the yeast pretty hard and I have found this syntom to wax and wane big time depeneding on what we are doing in treatment. Its funny beacuse alot times either my bladder or vulvadynia seems to be the focus but they can still influence each other.  I find that applying jojoba oil before I go to sleep is helpful sometimes. like in the morning I feel less irritated and the swelling goes down but its a topical thing and the real healing is the herbs dong thier magic inside.   I notice that I am feeling totally swollen inside today definately pelvic floor muscles. It's like I've got a headache in my vagina/vulvar tissues and sitting can be hell!  From what I understand as bladder gets better and yeast is under control this vaginal/vulvar sensation pain and tension goes away. Sex will be normal again and pain free. It can take while for this symtom to be addressed - apparently I have heard it can be one of the last symtoms to clear up? I can't have sex right now at all still. But I did have pockets of releif from this sensation earlier in treatment where I maybe could have had sex but didn't feel like undoing any healing with potential friction irritation. uuuuugh. I miss sex. but it is OKAY a normal happy sex life does await I have read/heard many times. explore alternatives in intimacy and if you do have coitus look into the bomasense lubricant. 

I imagine for everyone it may vary in what form the vulvadynia/ or pfd or vaginal issues might be- for me I notice the most intense pain upon the vaginal threshold like where the vaginal canal begins right at the public bone and somewhat in the tissues. Matia explained how we are in general taught to think of our body and its problems in a compartamentalized way- vaginal pain/bladder pain... but really the body when its suffering from an imbalence that imbalence may ignore common organ boundaries and it can just hurt kind of all over. Itppfd is most defintanely inflammation and those nerves from being stimulated can just be on fire. she assured me that in time that tissue is going to heal and as a result the vaginal issues along with the bladder pain or sometimes its bladder healing first then vagina will all be a distant inconceivable memory. Our common expereince has been one of frustration with healing these kinds of things so its hard to imagine it going away. Its interesting that TMJ and the pelvic muscles are so connected like that. When I was in massage school one of teachers told me how the jaw and the hips/pelvis was important-in its congruence-its connected to our body's energy level and alignment balence. He told us when doing any kind of intense focused work to keep the jaw soft and relaxed. otherwise it wastes your energy to clench it tight. (for TMJ its a challenge as its kind of unconcious?) TMJ is related to GI tract imabalence too? When the top of your spine - jaw- connecting to your occipital base that your skull is resting on- you don't want to have that all tight- cause the rest of your body will follow suit- hips especially will be tight as well. I imagine that pfd therapy may offer benefit - but I also think that its a more symtomatic treatment and while it addresses perhaps the inflammation or getting those muscles to relax but whatever it is that might be causing the inflammation to begin with- the microbes/yeast etcetc if that isn't addressed I imagine than the pain would come back. just my 2 cents but I am totally ignorant of PFD and the process and would like to know more if its something we could do- maybe we could talk alittle more about this at our next bif phone conference? thanks everyone.
mary
 
 

I also have Pelvic floor dysfunction.  Last year, I went to a physical therapist and she did internal massage, which focusd on trigger points.  It really helped relax the muscles in the vagina.  There is a new book on the ICN , Heal Pelvic Pain, which focuses on pelic floor dysfunction (I haven't read it yet but it looks interesting).   Some people think that pelvic floor dysfunction is exaserbated by constipation.  I am hoping that my pelvic floor will continue to improve under Matia's guidance.

There's a really good book about this--called "Heal Pelvic Pain".  A good friend of mine used it to help her IC (she wont go to Matia), but it also helped with her PFD. 

Has anyone on this site read Heal Pelvic Pain?  If so, did it help you?  Thanks.

I have been having severe PDF and vulvadina issues so badly it's keeping me awake. It feels like not only do i have a cramp but stabing pain and the electric pulses. I wonder If I am not ready for some of the foods I am on like these seeds Matia has me eating for my digestion. I don't want to give them up if possible though because I am finally pooping every day and that was a pain on it's own. I know from past conversations with Matia she doesn't like PDF massage work because she has had bad results with it in some cases. I did do some PDF during early treatment the first time around and i can tell you I have had good and bad experiences with it. IT really depends on the person doing it.I know I have talked to a lot of women who have had terrible pain after, I think Matia;s same opions on massage where it releases too much in that area can be dangerous is the issue here.

I have PFD...or so I was told when diagnosed with IC.  it's apparently very common and PFD and IC are linked most of the time.  That's the "western" thinking anyway.  I've been doing PT for almost a year. It's been very helpful for me, but hasn't completely solved my problems (hint: yeast).  I think Matia is right that the bladder inflammation is causing PFD symptoms, but in my case, I know I hold all my tension in those muscles and I've really learned how to relax them, not all the way, but almost.  I was having some incontinence when this all started and that has really improved I would say.
i read Heal Pelvic Pain, and yes, it's quite good.  I do the exercises in it pretty regularly.  I also do yoga 2-3 times a week which has been my lifesaver this past year.
Another great book is A Headache In The Pelvis.  I laughed when I read someone (Mary I think) say they felt like they had a headache down there!  it's so true.  And the book is a little graphic and deals with men's issues, but is interesting to read for ICers too.
Some people have such severe PFD that they cannot even do PT.  In my case, I found it to be helpful, though I've gone from once a week now to once a month maybe.  I've learned how to do some things myself.  I do agree that you must find a good therapist...if anyone here is in St. Louis, I have a great one. 

noticed your post and just wanted to drop a note because it really was great to see this. congrats on this BIG victory. i have been in pt for many years and it has been a tremendous help to me. unfortunately it hasn't been able to get me where i need to be in the last few years which matia believes is because of the systemic issues. i still go to pt now about once a month and do work on my own as well. but in these last few months of my treatment with matia, i thought i was noticing that my muscles and connective tissue seemed "looser" - even spots that have been notoriously tightly restricted/prone to trigger points have not been as bad. it's such a subtle change and since my most troubling pain at this point is the lingering sensitization as the result of irritated nerve endings, etc., i was thinking maybe i'm imagining this or that it's coincidence. but now that you mention it too, i can't help but think maybe matia's treatment is making an impact in that way. granted what i want the treatment to to do is take away the nerve pain and sensitization, but maybe this is a step in the right direction. just the idea that it could be doing something good in that area of my body gives me hope that her treatment will eventually help me in the way i need it to. so, thank you for sharing your story.